AUGUSTA, Maine – Republican Gov. Paul LePage said Wednesday he intends to seek “spiritual guidance” in hopes of quieting a controversy he created when he left an obscene message on a Democratic lawmaker’s voicemail and then said he wished he could challenge him to a duel and point a gun at him.

As top Democrats continued their calls for LePage’s resignation, a fissure has emerged between House and Senate Republicans over whether the self-described straight talker is taking enough responsibility for his remarks and whether legislative action should be ruled out.

LePage apologized personally to the Democratic lawmaker, state Rep. Drew Gattine, and later blamed the media for fueling the fight.

BRASILIA, Brazil – Brazil’s Senate on Wednesday voted to remove President Dilma Rousseff from office, the culmination of a yearlong fight that paralyzed Latin America’s largest nation and exposed deep rifts among its people on everything from race relations to social spending.

While Rousseff’s ouster was widely expected, the decision was a key chapter in a colossal political struggle that is far from over. Rousseff was Brazil’s first female president. She was accused of breaking fiscal laws in her management of the federal budget.

“The Senate has found that the president of the federal republic of Brazil, Dilma Vana Rousseff, committed crimes in breaking fiscal laws,” said Chief Justice Ricardo Lewandowski.

Associated Press